The alkaloids in the coca plant, including cocaine (which affects the neurons in the brain) act as a natural antidepressant, as they improve the mood [ 5 ]. Cocaine blocks the normal signal transmission of dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine, causing them to build up in the brain, leading to improved mood [ 3 ].
Full Answer
What are the benefits of the leaves of coca plant?
The main benefits of the leaves of the coca plant include their effect on the following: Mental health. health. Asthma. Mood improvement. Reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety. Eliminate altitude sickness. Relieve constipation.
Can plants make cocaine?
"Plants can't run away, so they have to be the planet's best chemists to survive," said study co-author John D'Auria, a biochemist at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Germany. "They make chemicals other organisms simply cannot make, including cocaine."
What are the alkaloids in a coca leaf?
Coca leaves contain 0.5 to 1.5 percent alkaloids of the tropane group, most important of which is cocaine. Other tropane alkaloids present in N-CH3 0-CO it include cinnamylcocaine, truxilline, benzoylecgonine and ecgonine.
What type of plant is coca plant?
Coca, (Erythroxylum coca), tropical shrub, of the family Erythroxylaceae, the leaves of which are the source of the drug cocaine. The plant, cultivated in Africa, northern South America, Southeast Asia, and Taiwan, grows about 2.4 metres (8 feet) tall.
What conditions does coca need to grow?
A semi-tropical climate with warm days and abundant rain fall, between 6.6 and 7.26 feet per annum, character- izes the Ayacucho area. Coca is usually grown on steep slopes which require terracing at an elevation of between 1,650 and 4,290 feet. Soils in this area are red and high in iron.
What does coca plant contain?
Raw coca leaves, chewed or consumed as tea or mate de coca, are rich in nutritional properties. Specifically, the coca plant contains essential minerals (calcium, potassium, phosphorus), vitamins (B1, B2, C, and E) and nutrients such as protein and fiber.
What plant makes coca?
Erythoxylon cocaCocaine is produced from the leaves of the coca plant (Erythoxylon coca). The plant grows almost exclusively in northern and western South America. Colombia is now the main producer of illegal cocaine with Peru, Bolivia, and Chile providing significant amounts of the drug.
What are the medicinal uses of the coca plant?
Despite safety concerns and illegality, the coca leaf is used to make medicine. People chew coca leaves to relieve hunger and fatigue and to enhance physical performance. Coca extracts are used for stimulating stomach function, causing sedation, and treating asthma, colds, and other ailments.
What are the benefits of cocoa leaves?
When chewed or consumed in tea, the coca leaf provides an impressive number of health benefits – here are eight.A long-lasting energy boost.A reduction of appetite.A painkiller.A remedy for altitude sickness.A source of nutrients.An upset stomach remedy.A reliever of flu symptoms.Prevention or control of diabetes.
What is the scientific name of coca plant?
Erythroxylum cocaErythroxylum coca / Scientific name
Why do plants make drugs?
Plants produce many chemicals that are biologically active, not just in themselves, but also in other organisms. Some of these chemicals enhance their own survival. Some plants produce chemicals that act as herbicides to inhibit the growth of competing plants, such as the salicylic acid produced by willows.
What are coca leaves worth?
low average price of coca leaf (2.1 USD/ Kg), the cocaine hydrochloride price in VRAEM was 1,683 USD/Kg, the highest average value at national level.
Is cocoa and coca the same?
Cocoa refers to a powder made from cacao beans, or to a drink made with this powder. Coca refers to plants that are used to make cocaine.
How do you make coca leaves?
How to Make Coca TeaHeat cold water in a pot but do not boil. ... Place a teaspoon of dried coca tea leaves in a tea infuser. ... Steep and allow coca tea leaves to infuse for 20 minutes for a darker brew and 10 minutes for a light amber brew. ... Pour the coca tea in a mug to the half fill line.More items...
Can you drink coca tea while pregnant?
Pregnancy – Under no circumstances should this tea be consumed while pregnant, as it is directly linked with the incidence of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Furthermore, it has also been linked to miscarriages in South American populations.
How does coca leaves help altitude sickness?
It is chewed to reduce fatigue, hunger, and indigestion. It is even chewed to lessen the effects of altitude sickness due to lack of oxygen at high altitudes. To chew the coca leaf, just take a handful of these and put them in your mouth. The main thing is to chew them until you get a pulp with a smooth texture.
Why are alkaloids complex?
That's surprising, he said, because the alkaloids are complex molecules that take many stages to create, and evolution typically conserves the best solutions rather than reinventing them. "Another thing is that the roots of Solanaceae make tropane alkaloids.
Does cocaine kill bugs?
Study co-author D'Auria hin ted that cocaine's natural purpose may be to kill bugs. Previous work found that a high amount of cocaine in cultivated coca plants—as much as 10 percent of young leaves' dry weight— acts as an insecticide. More studies of the crop's wild ancestors, he said, could help solve the riddle.
Is cocaine a stimulant?
Despite the drug's infamy, cocaine is chemical ly similar to a host of anesthetics and stimulants used legally every day. Understanding how cocaine is made in the coca plant might therefore lead to new anesthetic drugs without the addictive qualities, the study authors say.
Does cocaine have alkaloids?
Although cocaine is part of a different family, many Solanaceae plants also produce tropane alkaloids, some of which have been made into medicines that dilate pupils, wrangle motion sickness, and treat peptic ulcers.
What is the plant that makes Coca?
Botanical source: Coca consists of the dried leaves of Erythroxylum coca Lam. (Bolivian or Huanuco coca) and E. truxillense Rusby (Peruvian or Truxillo coca) of the family Erythroxylaceae. Coca plants are small shrubs.
What are the constituents of Coca?
Other tropane alkaloids present in N-CH3 0-CO it include cinnamylcocaine, truxilline, benzoylecgonine and ecgonine.
How long are the leaves of a coke plant?
Macroscopical Characters of Coca Plants. Coca leaves are simple, very short-petioled, 3.5 to 8 cm long and 2 to 4 cm broad, oval to ovate-lanceolate in shape with an entire margin and acute apex.
Is Cocaine a stimulant?
Cocaine hydrochloride is used as a local anaesthetic. in minor surgical operations. Cocaine is an addicting alkaloid and is drug of abuse. This alkaloid is thus rampantly used throughout the world for illicit purposes. Its general use as a drug is thus legally prohibited.
What is the name of the plant that produces cocaine?
Alternative Titles: Erythroxylum coca, Huanuco cocaine. Coca, ( Erythroxylum coca ), tropical shrub, of the family Erythroxylaceae, the leaves of which are the source of the drug cocaine. Coca ( Erythroxylum coca ). W.H. Hodge.
What is a matu?
The green leaves ( matu) are spread in thin layers and dried in the sun; they are then packed in sacks, which, in order to preserve the quality, must be kept from damp. The composition of different specimens of coca leaves is very inconstant.
How many petals does a corolla have?
The flowers are small and disposed in little clusters on short stalks; the corolla is composed of five yellowish white petals, the anthers are heart-shaped, and the pistil consists of three carpels united to form a three-chambered ovary. The flowers are succeeded by red berries.
How tall is Hodge's fern?
W.H. Hodge. The plant, cultivated in Africa, northern South America, Southeast Asia, and Taiwan, grows about 2.4 metres (8 feet) tall. The branches are straight, and the lively green leaves are thin, opaque, oval, and more or less tapering at the extremities.
What is an encyclopedia editor?
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. ...
Where do red berries grow?
The plants thrive best in hot, damp situations, such as the clearings of forests, but the leaves most preferred are obtained in drier localities, on the sides of hills. The leaves are considered ready for plucking when they break on being bent.
Why do people use coca leaves?
However, coca leaves have been used for cultural, medicinal, and spiritual reasons for hundreds, if not thousands of years, by indigenous people in these areas. When used responsibly, there are some important health benefits to consider. [1]
What are the nutrients in coca leaves?
Nutritional Facts of Coca. The leaves of the coca plant are primarily composed of protein, fiber , and vitamin C, as well as high levels of vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin D, and vitamin E, along with calcium, iron, zinc , phosphorous, and copper, among others. The leaves also contain alkaloids, such as nicotine, hygrine, and ecgonine, ...
Why are coca leaves illegal?
The reason this plant is so well known throughout the world is due to an active ingredient present in it, an alkaloid called cocaine. Through a relatively simple extraction process , coca leaves can be separated from their antioxidants and a powerful stimulant – cocaine – can be created. For that reason, coca leaves are illegal in many countries, ...
What are the side effects of coca?
There are some side effects of the coca plant, particularly if you have a history of the following: [5] High blood pressure. Diabetes. Heart disease. Asthma. Stroke. Pregnant women should also avoid using coca, particularly if it has not been decocainized. References.
Can you use coca leaves in tea?
Uses of Coca. Aside from being processed into cocaine, coca leaves are primarily used in two ways – in a tea form or chewed directly. Both of these applications can lead to certain health benefits or effects for people, without the negative side effects of consuming concentrated cocaine. [4]
Does coca leaf contain caffeine?
The main benefits of the leaves of the coca plant include their effect on the following: Since coca leaves, when chewed or brewed into a tea, often contain cocaine, it can be a powerful stimulant, like coffee, but without the caffeine.
How much of the dry weight of a coca leaf is stored in the leaf tissue?
Also of interest is to learn how cocaine is stored in leaf tissue in such high amounts. This alkaloid can account for up to 10% of the dry weight of the immature coca leaf, a phenomenal amount for the accumulation of any one particular alkaloid.
What is the name of the enzyme that makes steroid hormones?
The enzyme was named methylecgonone reductase (MecgoR). AKR enzymes are known in plants and also mammals, amphibians, yeast, protozoa, and bacteria. They are involved in the formation of steroid hormones, for example.
Which plant family produces tropane?
Species in seven plant families are known to produce tropane alkaloids, including the Brassicaceae (mustard family), Solanaceae (nightshade or potato family) and Erythroxylaceae (coca family).
Where is atropine synthesized in coca plants?
Atropine, on the other hand, is synthesized exclusively in the roots of belladonna, from where it is transported into the green organs of the plant.
What family is alkaloids in?
This enzyme was shown to belong to the aldo-keto-reductase protein family revealing some exciting new insights into the evolution of cocaine biosynthesis. advertisement. Alkaloids constitute a very large group of natural nitrogen-containing compounds with diverse effects on the human organism.
What enzyme is responsible for the reduction of alcohol residues in belladonna?
In the penultimate step, a ketone function is reduced to an alcohol residue. This key reaction is catalysed by an enzyme of the short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase (SDR) protein family in belladonna. Among this group of enzymes are also many alcohol-degrading dehydrogenases in animals.
Where does cocaine come from?
Researchers have just discovered a key reaction in cocaine formation in the coca plant from South America, and identified the responsible enzyme.
What Is Cocaine?
Cocaine comes from the coca plant, which is mostly grown in Colombia, Bolivia, and Peru. The drug is manufactured in these countries in clandestine laboratories with a number of different chemicals.
Effects of Cocaine
The short- and long-term effects of cocaine use can vary depending on the person. and can include: 1,2
Where Does Cocaine Come From?
Cocaine is extracted and processed from coca plants in South America on the ridge of the Andes mountains or in lowland jungles such as those found in Colombia.
What is Cocaine Made Of?
Cocaine, as the world knows it, is actually cocaine hydrochloride. It is 1 of 14 alkaloids that naturally occur in the coca plant. Out of over 200 plant species, there are only 2 types of coca leaf that contain enough cocaine alkaloid for cocaine production. Generally, coca leaves can be harvested 3-6 times a year.
Crack Cocaine Process
Powdered cocaine can be further processed into crack by first mixing it into a solution of either ammonia or a combination of baking soda and water, then heating that mixture to create a substance that forms rocks for smoking.
How Is Cocaine Distributed?
Once cocaine is processed, distribution occurs. Distribution is a complex chain that usually involves many different groups.
What Is Cocaine Cut With?
Along the supply chain, cocaine is cut with adulterants to reduce its purity and create a larger profit margin. 1, 3 Common cutting agents include amphetamines, baking sugars, caffeine, acetaminophen (Tylenol), cornstarch, flour, talcum powder, and anesthetics, including procaine. 1, 2, 4
How to extract coca leaves?
Coca Leaves. Growers crush and stir raw coca leaves with water, lime, and kerosene and extract the coca leaf. The kerosene mixture that remains after extracting the leaf contains coca alkaloids and wax from the coca leaves. The wax is separated by heating and cooling the kerosene mixture. Then, sulfuric acid is added to ...
What is the chemical that dissolves cocaine?
Sulfuric acid is added again, which dissolves the cocaine paste. Next, potassium permanganate is added to filter out cinnamoylcocaine and other impurities. Potassium permanganate also oxidizes the cocaine paste, which gives cocaine its white appearance.
What is the name of the powder that is processed with chemicals?
The leaves are processed with various toxic chemicals into a white powder, known as cocaine. Cocaine powder is packaged in kilogram bricks before it is trafficked throughout the world. Cocaine powder can be further processed into crack cocaine, a cheaper but more potent alternative that can be smoked.
How much purity can cocaine be reduced?
Before cocaine is sold to smaller dealers, the following adulterants may be added: According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, these adulterants can reduce the purity of cocaine from 80-90 percent to about 30 percent.
What is long term cocaine use?
Long-term cocaine use can lead to tolerance, dependence, and addiction. Cocaine addiction is characterized by compulsive use despite negative consequences. Addiction often affects many areas of life and requires comprehensive treatment.
Where is cocaine distributed?
Cocaine Distribution. Illegal drug distribution begins in South America, specifically Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, and Chile. Colombian traffickers likely transport cocaine into Mexico, which is then smuggled into the United States. Cocaine is sold in multiple kilogram bricks to wholesale distributors, who sell the product to upper-level distributors.
Is cocaine pure or mixed?
Cocaine sold on the street is rarely pure cocaine and street dealers often mix even more additives, in an attempt to increase their profits. These may include talcum powder, cornstarch, or flour, which are difficult to distinguish when mixed with cocaine.
What Is The Coca Plant?
- NOTE: Raw coca leaves are illegal in the United States, but decocainized coca leaf tea is legal and generally recognized as safe by the FDA. We strongly recommend against the use of raw leaves. Erythroxylum coca, commonly known as the coca plant, grows wild across South America, including Bolivia and Peru [1,2]. Archaeological evidence shows that coca has been cultivated in …
Potential Benefits of Coca
- Coca leaf tea and supplements have not been approved by the FDA for medical use and generally lack solid clinical research. Furthermore, only decocainized coca leaf tea is legal in the United States. Regulations set manufacturing standards for decocainized tea but don’t guarantee that it is safe or effective. Speak with your doctor before supplementing.
Safety and Side Effects
- Chewing coca leaves may cause [20]: 1. Tingling lips 2. Nausea 3. Stomach pain 4. Bad mood In contrast to other chewing habits, such as tobacco, coca leaves do not cause DNA damage. They do, however, cause some different types of cell damage. This was shown in a study of cells obtained from 45 habitual coca leaf chewers and 23 controls [38].
Supplementation
- Forms & Dosage
Coca, as an herbal supplement, is available in the form of leaves, flour, tea, and powder [41,4,39,9]. Raw coca leaf typically contains 0.1% to 0.9% of cocaine, while decocainized coca leaf tea (which has had the cocaine chemically removed) effectively contains no cocaine. Decocainized coca is …
Macroscopical Characters of Coca Plants
Microscopical Characters Coca Plants
- The epidermal cells are polygonal with straight anticlinal wall. Outer walls of the lower epidermal cells are papillose. Paracytic (rubiaceous) stomata are present on the lower surface only. A few epidermal cells contains mucilage, and Prisms and clusters of calcium oxalate occur in a few cells of both epidermises. Prisms and clusters oxalate are also present in the mesophyll cells. T…
Chemical Constituents Coca
- Coca leaves contain 0.5 to 1.5 percent alkaloids of the tropane group, most important of which is cocaine. Other tropane alkaloids present in N-CH3 0-CO it include cinnamylcocaine, truxilline, benzoylecgonine and ecgonine. Peruvian and Java coca leaves are richer in total alkaloid content. ln addition to the tropane alkaloids, thee contain cocatann...
Uses of Coca Plants
- Coca is a stimulant tonic and a restorative drug. it is used during convalescence. Cocaine hydrochloride is used as a local anaesthetic. in minor surgical operations. Cocaine is an addicting alkaloid and is drug of abuse. This alkaloid is thus rampantly used throughout the world for illicit purposes. Its general use as a drug is thus legally prohibited.